Prep Soccer: Freeport powers way into sectionals

ROCHELLE — For the third time in Adam Winters' four-year varsity soccer career at Freeport, he's helped his Pretzel team advance to sectionals.

This time, however, he's expecting a different outcome once he gets there.

“After the way we've played in these regionals, we definitely expect to keep this thing going this time,” Winters said after blasting in two goals during Freeport's 5-0 win over Sterling in Friday's Rochelle Regional final. “When we got out here tonight, we were all business. And then we took care of business. We've just got to bring the same intensity to the sectionals next week.”

Goalie Marcus Fitzpatrick has yet to be scored upon in the postseason for Freeport (8-13-1), pitching a pair of shutouts to help spark the Class 2A playoff run. The Pretzels had lost their last three regular-season games, but dispatched Rochelle 2-0 in the regional opener, and then owned Sterling on Friday.

“It was 5-0, and we all had to work for this one, but this was our kind of game,” Fitzpatrick said. “We got up by four, and when they got the wind in the second half, I knew they were going to come after me. We just held our ground. Our defense was excellent.”

Logan Kuntz and Winters scored similar breakaway goals in the game's first five minutes, and Conor Greene added one before Winters' second goal of the day made it 4-0 with less than a minute to go in the first half. Tom Greene capped it off with his first tally of the season, a hard shot with English that went in with 25:03 left in the game.

“We had a great feel coming out of that last game,” Freeport coach Nick Namio said. “And we sure kept it going tonight.”

The Pretzels earned their third regional title in the past four years, and will move on to the Burlington-Central Sectional. But each time they've made it this far, at least with Winters on the field, they lost in the next round.

“This pretty much proves that we've come together as a team,” said Winters, who leads the team with 14 goals. “And now we've got to prove it some more. We're not done.”

They will take on the Burlington Central-Maple Park Kaneland winner from the Sycamore Regional at 5 p.m. Tuesday.